In the fuel loading industry where a fuel truck is being loaded with liquid that is often flammable, in order to meet mandated safety requirements, several parameters of the fuel transfer are routinely monitored for compliance with loading operations standards. These systems, generally, connect to sensors on vehicles, for example, tanker trucks, that verify system and truck status prior to beginning a filling process. In some instances, the system is checked to verify that a ground connection is established in addition to determining that the sensors in the tanks are dry, in other words, the tanks are not already full and, therefore, there is no risk to filling the tanks and causing a spill. As known, these connections are established using industry standard connecting plugs and terminals that the fuel trucks and the loading racks must each provide.
The sensors on the vehicle being filled, often a tanker truck, are connected to a controllers at a loading rack that must detect a safe condition before allowing fuel to flow. The connections between the vehicle and the loading rack are accomplished through multi-conductor cables and plug/socket assemblies. The plug and socket connect to one another with a set of interlocking pins and associated “J” slots. These cables are typically coiled and terminate in a junction box at the rack end of the cable.
During normal operation, after the fuel loading has completed, the cables are intended to be disconnected by the truck driver or operator. On occasion, however, a driver forgets to remove the cable and drives off with it still connected between the now moving truck and the stationary rack resulting in damage to both the cable and the rack equipment.
While there are several approaches available to prevent a driver from pulling away without first removing the cable they are either not universally in use, frequently ignored or actively over-ridden.
What is needed is a mechanism to minimize the amount of damage that is incurred when a truck pulls away from a fueling rack with a sensor cable still attached. In addition, a solution to reducing damage from “runaway” trucks must also accommodate the different types of connectors that may be found in a fleet of tanker trucks